Comments on Revelation, Chapter 4:

The Lord and his Spirits

This chapter gives us an idea about the hierarchy of divine forces and their current influence on human history. The 24 elders and the 4 living creatures symbolize the fact that these spirits are individual entities, which can be contacted separately and produce different effects. This does not contradict the teaching that "God is one", because these spirits are subjected to a common purpose and work together in the same direction.

These days their purpose is destruction symbolized by the thunderstorm image and the image of the burning torches repeatedly quoted in the Revelation. This destruction is carried out by the 7 spirits of God and the seven seals from chapter 6 - 8. The seventh seal are 7 angels with the 7 trumpets in chapter 8 - 11, who also carry the 7 bowls of God's anger in chapter 16 representing the same man-made disasters. The fact that these disasters are man-made does not contradict the principle that they are divine punishments and necessary steps in the destruction of the old world and the creation of a new one.

The vision of the 4 living creatures describes the usual symbols for the 4 elemental spirits: the lion as the symbol of fire, the ox as the symbol of earth and the eagle as the symbol of air, with their order reflecting their place in the hierarchy of Elementals. The only missing one is the element of water, the force of creation and love, which is symbolized by a human form, the Rider on the White Horse from chapter 6 and chapter 19.